About Our Community

Lisle treasures a rich and vibrant history as DuPage County’s first permanent settlement. The area now known as Lisle was initially home to four chief Potawatomi Indian villages, with whom, in 1816, the U.S. Government negotiated a treaty to relinquish all claim and title to the land. After the establishment of this arrangement came the grant of statehood and the opening of the vast Erie Canal, which, all together, drew in settlers from all over.

Two brothers, James C. and Luther Hatch, came to the area in 1832 in search of fertile farmland and opportunity. Soon, more and more settlers followed suit, quickly developing the essentials of properous community living.

Members of the First Congregational Church of DuPage began worshipping in the area as early as 1833, and by 1834, John Thompson took the reigns of overseeing the town’s postal services. The county’s first schoolhouse was said to have been built in Lisle in 1837.

DuPage County was officially organized in 1839 from Cook County, and in 1850, area residents voted to enact a township form of government. Upon this decision, DuPage County was divided into nine townships, with Lisle Township included. Just over 100 years later, in 1956, the Village of Lisle was incorporated.

Primarily an agrarian community, the area continued to flourish. By 1850, a plank road traversed the area, stretching from the city of Chicago through Lisle west, along what is known today as Ogden Avenue. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad line was constructed in 1863, making its way through Lisle and offering a significant connection in and out of the fledgling community.

By the turn of the century, the area that was to become Lisle – which derived its name from a New York town – was establishing itself as a bustling community. Near the end of the 19th century, the first plat was laid out by Simon Engleschall and surveyed by H.E. Vallette. The subdivision offered gravel streets, planted trees and wooden sidewalks.

Today, Lisle has maintained a close-knit community that fuses natural beauty and hometown appeal with progressive business and modern technology. While the Village continues “Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future,” it further evolves into a place for residents of all lifestyles—professionals, families, and retirees—not to mention an ideal site for business establishment and expansion.